Meadow Creek East receives AER approval

Meadow Creek East is approximately 45 kilometres south of Fort McMurray and 20 kilometres southwest of Anzac. It is located east of Highway 63 and covers an area of approximately 150 square kilometres

Share this article

After three years of technical planning, stakeholder and Aboriginal engagement, as well as a review of our application by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER), Suncor received approval for the Meadow Creek East project on March 27, 2017. The Meadow Creek East approval is Suncor’s first in situ development approval since Firebag.

Meadow Creek East is a joint venture project between Suncor and Nexen Energy ULC with Suncor as the operator. The project was formerly a Petro-Canada project and received partial approval from the Energy and Utilities Board (EUB) in 2003.

The Meadow Creek East approval is the first large-scale approval issued by the AER under the New Activity Life-Cycle Approach (NALA). Our Meadow Creek project team were engaged with the AER throughout 2015 and 2016 to support the NALA approach and obtain regulatory approval.

“The scope of the approval for Meadow Creek East is unprecedented within our industry,” says Travis Shepherd, senior advisor, environment. “It gives us the assurance we can construct and operate Meadow Creek East over the next 25-40 years in an efficient and effective manner.”

With regulatory approval in hand, Suncor can strategically decide when to push forward with the development. In the meantime, Suncor will continue to engage with our stakeholders.

Meadow Creek East is expected to be developed in phases, with first oil targeted for 2023 and 2024. Each phase is planned to produce approximately 40,000 barrels per day and will be operational for up to 40 years.

This story contains forward-looking information. Please see legal advisories for more information.